Its Amazing What You Find

For some reason, I seem to have been having a massive tidy up at the minute. There's been a lot of sorting and a lot of chucking.

I'm not really one for tidying, if I'm knitting or sewing I don't really see mess. And if I'm painting I'm usually making it! There seems to be a lot of cleaning inspiration on my Pinterest feed at the moment, maybe the universe is trying to tell me something? most of them are fairly optimistic to be honest they seem to think that I only need to clean my living room once a week? Do they not realise what one week of Little Knitwit mess looks like? It looks like a bombsite that's what.

But anyway,  during my cleaning I found this, it was hidden at the back of a drawer gathering dust. I vaguely remember starting this about 3 years ago, at about 3 in the morning? Actually that works out because I'd have been pregnant and I don't remember doing at lot of sleeping at night when I was pregnant! Crying, eating, screaming and being unreasonable. Yes, but sleep? No.

So apparently whilst pregnant, sleep deprived, and most probably crying/eating (or in some very stressful occasions both at the same time) I decided to stich the Virgin Mary. Well they do say pregnant women do strange things.

Another piece that could do with a good iron. Yet another hint from the universe that I should be doing more housework.

 There's some great stitches on it though. This might be the neatest chain stitch I have ever done.

Now I just need to decide whether or not to finish it. I'm in two minds at the moment.

 

In other news I've added a few more rows to my t-shirt yarn doormat. Its looking super duper.

 

 

I feel like there's going to be a lot of blue, considering Little Knitwit is the only one that's growing out of his clothes at the moment.

 

 

I've got so much more to do on it though, I guess for the moment I'll just have to keep going till I run out of t-shirt yarn. At least the knitting will give me plenty of time to mull over the Virgin Mary embroidery.

 

Much Love

 

Frankie

 

xxx

A Lot Of Cleaning, A Whinge and Some Yarn!

Its been a long day today, I ended up cleaning the whole house from top to bottom. It all started when the tumble dryer broke, I had to drag it out and to be perfectly honest it was darn filthy behind there! God knows how it gets that way, but at least its clean now! It had to be cleaned seen as the repair man is coming to take a look at it next week, and I definitely don't want him seeing my cob webby pantry. A girls pantry is a very private place!

 

Which brings me to my whinge, being without my tumble dryer is like being without an arm. Yes I know what some of you are thinking, It's beautifully sunny in England at the moment! Why aren't you pegging your washing out on the line. Well I am! I just hate doing it! I like to have my dryer as back up in case of emergency! I know washing lines have been used for years but they are so unreliable! Never once has my tumble dryer only decided to dry half my washing! (leaving the other half damp!), not once has my dryer allowed a bird to poop on my lovely clean washing! And I never have to run outside and grab all of my carefully washed and pegged out washing just because its started to rain with my dryer! Mr dryer takes all of these problems in his stride! And he has the common courtesy to bash the clothes around enough that they don't even need ironing! EVERYTHING needs ironing when it comes off a washing line! Sadly though my dryer is expensive to run, and good weather is free although not frequent! So I shall soldier on doing my little bit for planet earth.

 

Well that's my little whinge over and done with know I can tell you the good part of today! Due to the cleaning i ended up sorting out the black hole that is my wardrobe! And this time I resolved to ditch any t-shirts with holes in! Well when I say ditch I mean , turn into t-shirt yarn!

 

 

I've been wanting to make t-shirt yarn for ages but never seemed to get around to it. This is two vest tops and one long sleeved tops worth of yarn, but I think I'm going to need some more for the project I have in mind!

 

 

There's hundreds of tutorials put there on the internet for how to make t-shirt yarn, if you want to make your own. I was that excited I didn't even have chance to photography making it! I used very thin t-shirts though, and cut strips of about 1cm (some tutorials recommend strips of about an inch but it looked to bulky for me!

 

 

 I already know what its going to become! A nice little outdoor mat for my back door. Something we can rest muddy shoes on, and something I can stand on to water my hanging basket! I could have just brought one, but it probably wouldn't be as bright as this. And I can throw this away guilt free if it gets to grotty because I didn't spend a penny on it!

 

Love making recycled projects!

 

Much Love

 

Frankie

 

xxx

Vintage Vibes

It's such a beautiful day! So I've got to confess I haven't actually made anything today! Well apart from Lil Knitwits new sandpit!

 

 

Well by made, I mean I attached legs. He had loads of fun playing with it though, which surprised me he's not really a child who likes to get dirty.

 

In other new I was lucky enough to win the Dragonfly Fabrics Giveaway on HandmadeJanes Blog! I might have squealed with joy when this happened and refreshed to page five or six times just to make sure It was actually me that won!

 

For anybody who doesn't know HandmadeJane  is a dressmaking blog with a definite vintage feel. Its been a favourite blog of mine for a while but I've only just started following because I now have blogger! (Before it was bookmarked on my phone! So behind with the times!)  It's a really beautiful honest blog ( I love a good honest blog, no one is perfect all the time) With lovely fabrics and patterns! And she often does tutorials and information on the more difficult parts of dressing making! And she knows how to do a full bust adjustment! And coming from a family of BUSTY (And I mean BUSTY) ladies I appreciate the worth of a good full bust adjustment!

 

Anyway as soon as I've decided what I'm getting I'll let you have a little looksee! Although looking at the dragonfly website I will be spoilt for choice! And as soon as I've actually made something with it you'll be the first to know! 

 

It's been to hot to do anything! so I've been doing some knitting! Yes its another cowl BUT its a different pattern and has a distinctly vintage vibe about it!

 

 

I'm loving the contrast between the chunky wool and the fluffy wool! Incidentally these wools are both from my goody bag given to me by Mr.Knitwits Nanny! Feeling a bit spoilt this week, Beautiful weather, Knitting patterns, Wool and Fabric!

 

 

Also loving the pearly buttons! In between the two knitted strips is a piece of lace which I applied by hand!

 

We also have a new twitter button! I'm pretty new to twitter so feel free to tweet me!

 

Much Love

 

And Sunshine!

 

Frankie

 

xxx  

Self Restraint

All the wool has been wound! There's actually less than I thought.

 

 

I've been very restrained, since I started my sort out there are so many projects I want to start but haven't! I don't want to end up with another huge pile of works in progress! Although I did find my quilting cotton so I'm hoping I can put the last two triangles on this quilt and finally get it done! In fact that's decided it until those two triangles have at least been sewn on I am NOT starting any new projects (it's two triangles for gods sake it'll take all of five minutes! Why am I putting it off so much!!!!)

 

 

But first of all I need to sort out this big ball of spaghetti mess! As you can see there's a couple of started and unfinished projects in there! All the balls of wool are in the drawer now I just need to sort this out and I'll be a heck of a lot more organised! Which hopefully will result in more finished projects!

 

Have you have a big sort out recently?

 

Much Love

 

Frankie

 

XXX

A Catch Up!

It's Day nothing! Pinterest fortnight is officially over! And it was quite a relief going to bed last night and not having to worry about what I was going to make today! It also means I can catch you up on everything that's been going on! Not that there's been a lot!

First of all my new hanging basket is out! YAY! Mr Knitwits Nan was nice enough to offer to do me one again this year and as usual its absolutely beautiful! Is it a bit sad that I think my house actually looks a bit classier with hanging baskets? Luckily she seems to do something to them so they don't die immediately! I'm notoriously un green fingered and everything I touch tends to wither away but these hanging baskets never do!

Next I took the huge task of sorting out my wool drawer. This is long over due, when we got our new bed with storage drawers I just seemed to throw the entire contents of all my wool baskets into it immediately without sorting, resulting in a huge spaghetti mess! But I've started to tackle it head on, not only am I tidying it, I'm also re winding all of my wool into balls! Here's what I've done so far!

 

All that winding seemed like a good idea at the time! But now my arm hurts and I cant seem to see the end!

It did give me a chance to find to find some hidden gems though and to take stock of what I've got, (a hell of a lot of blue that's what!)

So until the drawer is fully empty they are sat in the corner of the bedroom!

I'm glad I started though mainly because I prefer working with wool like this, for starters I can easily see how much I have and weather or not I have roughly the same amount as another ball, also I seem to get in less of a tangle with my wool like this, but I'm unsure why!

After the wool is sorted, I have this to work on.

You know how many sewers can't bear to throw away scraps of fabric? Well I can't throw away scraps of wool either!!! I think its the make do and mend in me that or the compulsive hoarder! Once all the wool has been re wound I'm going to start sorting this out, in the hopes I can get some lovely owls made for the craft fair I'm doing in September!

Speaking of the craft fair in September I got these made during pinterest fornight inbetween other projects!

I'm loving cowls at the moment, especially seen as the British weather is being so unpredictable. I tried a new colour way for me, pink and white, it reminds me of eating candy floss at fun fairs ! and I branched out and tried making up a new pattern! I quite like the diamonds. They look super girly!

I also got to use lots of lovely shiny buttons as embellishment! Can't beat a good button!

 

And then I made another plaited cowl, similar to here. This one turned out just as lovely as my first attempt and I'm defiately going to get making these for the craft fair!

More buttons eeek!

 Terrible hair day today! Silly weathers making it poufy!

 

That's it really lots of tidying and finding of hidden treasures, I'm hoping to get my sewing machine out next week for a good long run! But before that I'll need to cut all the pieces for the things I need to sew, urgh.

Hope your having a lovely day!

Much Love

Frankie

xxx

A Dark Day , A very Dark Day

Yesterday was a very dark day and not very much fun at all.

First of all this happened to my knitting, due to a little pair of hands standing on a pile of toys to reach its hiding place .

 Last time I try and make myself a mid afternoon brew . I have no idea how many rows I lost , I daren't even think about, but "a good soldier never leaves a man behind" so they have all been picked up and redone now! Thank god! And an even better storage place has been found!

Secondly it was decided that my craft stuff was getting a little  lot messy and needed a good sort out!

I'm not sure how much ribbon and lace I re-wound but it was enough I can tell you! Although I'm not sure why I put it off for so long? I actually know where things are now! And I found about five pairs of scissors! BONUS!

 

Anybody else had a sort out recently? Crafty or otherwise?

 

Much Love

 

Frankie

 

xxx